


Cinnamon

by thekeekster



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-23
Updated: 2016-02-22
Packaged: 2018-05-22 17:32:41
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6088369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thekeekster/pseuds/thekeekster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Pre-relationship. Nora gets drunk at the tavern and Cullen helps walk her to her quarters, providing some comfort along the way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Cullen made his way across the courtyard towards The Herald’s Rest, eager to catch the Inquisitor before she retired for the evening. He had originally gone to the library to speak with her since she had mentioned earlier that she was meeting with Dorian, but she was nowhere to be found. Solas had called up to the rotunda when he heard Cullen inquire after her, saying that she and Dorian had gone to the tavern for a drink.

He had promised Nora that he would tell her of any news regarding the Venatori, and he was given a report just over an hour ago. The information was nothing that they didn’t already know, but still, he had told her that he would find her once he knew anything.

And find her he did. Just as he was about to open the door to the Herald’s Rest, he saw the Inquisitor sitting alone on a bench outside of the tavern, her head in her hands.

Seeing her like that caused a wave of worry to wash over him, causing a knot in his stomach. Immediately he rushed over to her, worried that something had happened. He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed.

“Inquis- _No._ _we’re off duty_ \- Nora, are you alright?”

She looked up at him with glassy eyes and a grin, and placed her hand atop his on her shoulder.

“Oh I’m fine… Just getting some air. Drinking contest with Bull…*hic* I bet him a sovereign that I could out-drink him… Didn’t win. Krem said that I looked like I needed some air” She paused, inhaling deeply and letting air out in an exaggerated breath. “So, here I am. Getting air.” 

She then started to giggle, and pulled Cullen’s arm down, prompting him to sit down next to her on the bench.

Cullen’s lip twitched in a smile, and he shook his head. He’d never seen her in such a state. They had had drinks together before, sure, but she’d clearly had more to drink than usual.

“I think,” He said with a chuckle, “it’s time you got some sleep. Come, I’ll walk you to your quarters.”

He reached around her back, putting his arm around her to help her stand but was stopped when she took his hand in hers and nestled her head into the fur on his mantle with a sigh, her other hand coming to rest on his thigh.

“I’ll take that walk, but I just want to sit for a moment. Is that alright?” She peered up at him with a smile, and his breath caught in his throat.

“Ah, yes” He stammered, “ Of course. Whatever you need.”

She squeezed his thigh in thanks and smiled back at him before resting her head back onto his shoulder.   
  
Cullen tried to focus on something –anything- other than the fact that the Inquisitor was leaning into him sighing contentedly, her thumb making lazy circles on his thigh. Cullen heard her inhale, and then break out into a fit of giggles, the smell of liquor wafting into the air with every breath she took.

He’s barely able to suppress a laugh himself, in awe of the state she was in.                  

_Maker, she smells like a brewery. How much did she drink?_

“Nora,” He said as he looked down at her face buried in his mantle, smiling as he did so. “What is so funny?”

She responded with a sigh, eyes still closed as her face stayed resting contentedly on his shoulder. “You smell delicious.”

“Wh-What?”

She sniggered, and looked up at him with a grin. “You smell like cinnamon! Like those cinnamon pastries with icing on them, they’re DELICIOUS! You smell just like them, just not as sweet.”

_Ah, my shaving oil has cinnamon in it. I must have used more this morning than usual._

He chuckled. “Ah, well I-“

She cut him off; taking her index finger and tracing it along the scar on his lip and coming to a stop along his bottom lip, tugging gently. Peering up at him through her lashes and her tongue darted out across her bottom lip before she caught it in her teeth.  
  
 _Maker’s breath._

“Nora, what are-“

He felt her hand glide up his thigh slowly, squeezing ever so gently and he cursed under his breath. How many times had his mind wandered to thoughts of this very nature? How many nights had he lain awake with himself in his hand, wishing it were hers holding him instead? More than he’d care to admit, and he fought to keep the thoughts from flooding his mind before he lost control of the situation. As much as he would like to continue and reciprocate, this was wrong. She was drunk and he would not take advantage of her in such a state.  Not to mention they were on a bench in the middle of the courtyard, and in that very moment he was thankful for the cover of darkness; It was likely that no one had noticed them.

As if she could read his mind, her hand slid further up his thigh while she raked her finger along his bottom lip with her other. He caught both of her wrists in his hands, taking a deep breath and opening his eyes – _when had I closed them?-_  and she smirked up at him.

“All we need is to cover you in icing *snort*, and I bet you’d be just as tasty!” with that she burst into a fit of giggles, and Cullen couldn’t help but laugh himself, thankful for the distraction.

Still laughing Cullen stood up, shaking his head. “Alright. You’ve had far too much to drink. Let’s get you to your quarters. You need to get some rest before morning.”

Cullen helped her up off the bench and helped her towards the main keep. Several times she tripped going up Skyhold’s steps and each time Cullen caught her, unable to stop himself from laughing when she burst into fits herself. The first guard they came across was alarmed; assuming that the Inquisitor was injured when he saw Cullen helping her walk. However he soon realized that was not the case when she gave a drunken salute and slurred “as you were!”, laughing the entire time. She did this to every guard they passed, and each time Cullen smirked and ushered her along.

Reaching the stairway to her quarters, suddenly Nora tripped and sat down on the steps. Cullen leaned down to usher her to keep moving but stopped when he heard a sniffle and noticed the small shudder in her shoulders.

_Is she crying?_

“Nora?”

She looked up at him with tears in her eyes, lips pursed in a thin line. He knelt down and sat on the step beside her, placing an arm around her. She leaned into him and buried her face in his mantle, hands grasping at the fur desperately while she shook with tears. He held her in his arms on the steps and rested his chin stop her head, his hand caressing hers, letting her know that he was here for her.

They stayed like that for a few moments, him gently rocking her while she calmed down. Finally she peered up at him, her face splayed with an apologetic smile.

“Thank you- I’m so sorry, Cullen. I just… *sigh*. I fucking drank too much, and my emotions got the better of me.” She dropped her face again, her hands fidgeting with the fur on his mantle. “I just… Sometimes I see their faces… The ones we lost at Haven. I should have done more!” Her eyes welled up with tears again, and she continued to speak through soft sobs. “Ugh, you must think I’m pathetic.”

“No, Nora. I don’t think you’re pathetic.”

“I’m the Inquisitor, Cullen! How in Thedas’ name am I supposed to lead our cause when I can’t even hold myself together? I drink myself into a stupor and end up making a fool of myself. You have better things to do than be bothered with me, I’m sure.”

Cullen knew all too well how she felt. Some nights he barely slept, his dreams plagued with memories from being in the circle tower during the Blight. Or the mage uprising in Kirkwall; people burning in the streets and the chantry exploding.

“I think you’re an amazing woman who has risen up to lead the Inquisition, and you need to stop being so hard on yourself. This is no simple task, and it’s perfectly alright to ask for help. And I told you- I will never let the events at Haven happen again. Ever.” Cullen brushed a piece of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear and gave her a reassuring smile.

She looked up at him and smiled back, wiping the tears left on her face as she did.

“Promise?”

Cullen responded with a soft nod and kind smile. “Promise”.

“Thank you Cullen. You’re a good man.“

“No need to thank me. And you’re not a bother. I’ll be here for you, you need but to ask.”

With that she smiled at him and Cullen felt her lean into him further, once again resting her head on his shoulder and relaxing. Her scent filled his nostrils, a mixture of peaches and flowers, and he allowed himself to enjoy her company and the moment of peace. They sat like that for a few moments until he felt her go completely limp against him; realizing that she had drifted off to sleep. Chuckling to himself, he tried to rouse her with a gentle shake but it was no use. She sighed contentedly and ignored him, taken by the Fade.

_Well at least she’s finally going to get some sleep,_ he thought to himself. _But I can’t just leave her here._

After a moment of arguing with himself and trying to wake her, he decided to carry her upstairs. He picked her up from the stairs to take her to her quarters and as he stood up, she gazed up at him smiling, her eyes still heavy with sleep and a hint of confusion in her tone.  “Cullen?”

He could feel his face flush, and he stammered back a reply. “Ah- you fell asleep on the steps and- I didn’t want to leave you there… Here- I’ll put you down. My apologies, I shouldn’t have-”

He started to ease her out of his hold but stopped when she protested and he felt her arms wrap around his neck and head nuzzling into his chest. “No…” She was drifting off again and he could hear the sleepiness in her voice. “Too tired…”

“Alright”. Cullen smiled and kept walking, enjoying the feeling of holding her in his arms. He felt wanted, needed, and it felt **right** to hold her, even if it was only to bring her upstairs after she’d had too much to drink. He made his way to her chambers, being careful not to open the door too quickly lest it creak and wake her up. He placed her gently onto the bed and she rolled onto her side, arms wrapping around herself.

_She must be cold_ He thought, _But I’ll wake her if I move her again._

He looked around her quarters and saw what he was looking for- a quilt draped over the armchair in front of the fireplace. He took it from the chair and covered her with it, and she stirred when he pulled the blanket up to her shoulders. She took his hand in hers and nuzzled into it, placing a soft kiss into his gloved palm, and he sat down on the bed next to her.

_It isn’t appropriate for me to be here with her like this_ , he thought.

The feeling of her lips on his hand-even through the leather of his gloves- sent shivers down his arm and into his chest, and it took every ounce of his willpower to pull his hand from hers. When he did she sighed, her brow furrowing in protest at the loss of his touch. He started to rise from her bed when she reached out again and placed a hand on his leg, stopping him from standing.

“Mmm… Cullen?”

“Hush, Nora. Get some rest.”

She nodded and with her eyes still closed, she mumbled a drowsy response; “Don’t go… Don’t want to be alone”.

This was so unlike her. The woman who was usually so confident and sure of herself, was now laying beside him and asking him not to leave her alone, and to just stay with her. He felt wanted, NEEDED. By HER; The Inquisitor. Nora.  

_How can I say no to that?_

“I- alright. I’ll stay a bit. Get some sleep.”

He leaned back against the headboard of the bed, waiting for signs of her starting to drift off again.

_I’ll wait until she falls asleep, then make my way back to my office,_ He thought _. Shouldn’t take too long…_

Reaching her arm out to him she rested her hand just above his knee, and sighed. “Cullen?” Her voice was drowsy, and he could tell that she wouldn’t be long going to sleep.

He placed his hand on hers, and squeezed gently. “I’m here.”

The room was dark but he could tell that even in her sleepy state, her face lit up in a smile at his touch and it warmed his heart that he could make her smile like that. _Maker, she’s beautiful._

“One more thing?”

“Anything.” _That statement holds more truth than you realize._

“Don’t- *yawn*- Don’t tell Bull that you had to carry me?”

He chuckled in response and squeezed her hand again.

“Promise?”

“Yes I promise. My lips are sealed.”

“Mmm…You have nice lips…Cinnamon…  Just need some icing.”

His lips twitched in a smirk and he chortled quietly to himself, _she truly must be drunk_.

“That’s the wine talking, Nora. Go to sleep.”

She sighed in agreeance and Cullen felt her relax against him, slowly starting her descent back into the fade, sleep taking her once again.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pre-relationship. Cullen wakes up next to the Inquisitor.

Cullen was roused from slumber by the stiffness in his neck accompanied by a weighted feeling on his chest and arm. He tried to stretch and bring his arm up but couldn’t- something was holding it down. He tried again, yielding the same result.

Confused, he looked over to the side of his bed- _this isn’t my bed_ \- and realized – _is that… Nora?-_ that it was the Inquisitor who was weighing his arm down, - _How? What?-_ and he was in her bed, not his. Alarm and confusion set in and he blinked a few times, trying to comprehend the situation. Realization set in when he saw the quilt draped over her – _the one that **I** draped over her_ \- and then he remembered helping her to her quarters from the tavern.

_I must have dozed off waiting for her to fall asleep. What time is it?_

Then panic set in when he realized how this must look.

_Every single guard in Skyhold saw me go into the Inquisitor’s quarters with her. She was drunk, barely able to walk and I’ve been up here for Maker knows how long with her. Alone._

He looked around, squinting in the dark room.

_Well it’s still dark, so at least there’s that. Maybe it’s only been a few minutes?_

He mentally scolded himself for letting himself fall asleep and tried to stretch his arm and was reminded again that he couldn’t because it was under Nora – _wrapped around her, holding her_ -, and a smile crept onto his lips, even if just for a brief moment.

Her body was curled into his with her head buried into the fur on his shoulder and an arm strewn across his armoured torso. He could feel her breath on his neck; warm and at a slow and steady pace, the fade still having a firm grip on her mind. She was still very much asleep, and he was thankful for that; Hopefully he could leave without waking her.  

He took her arm in his hand and slowly lifted it from his torso when she stirred. He froze, hoping that she wouldn’t wake.

Nora sighed and took her own arm back, rolling onto her other side away from him – _thank the Maker she’s a heavy sleeper_ \- subsequently freeing his arm from underneath her. With another soft sigh and a deep breath she drifted back into the fade, and Cullen released the breath he didn’t realize he was holding until that moment. He rose slowly from the bed and crept softly towards the stairway leading out of her quarters and into the main hall, careful not to tread too heavily so as not to wake her.

He grasped the door handle and winced at the feel of the cold iron against his bare skin, not realizing until that moment that he wasn’t wearing his gloves.

_When did I take them off?_

_No matter,_ he thought to himself _. I’ll surely wake her if I root around and try to find them now._ _I’ll have to deal with that in the morning._

Closing the door, careful to do it as softly as he could, he made his way down the steps into the main hall.

When he came to the soldier guarding her quarters he stopped to speak with him, and the soldier gave him a brief salute.

“Commander.”

Cullen looked the young man in the eye and spoke, a serious expression bathed over his face to ensure the soldier paid close attention.

“The Inquisitor is not feeling well, and needs to rest. Do **not** disturb or wake her. If anyone has any concerns or objections, direct them to me. If there are any reports or letters that don’t require the Inquisitor’s immediate attention, also direct those to me. Do you understand?”

The soldier gave him a curt nod. “Understood, Commander.”

“Thank you. And-” he added “I would appreciate your discretion regarding her… Condition this evening.”

“As you said Commander, she wasn’t feeling well.”

Cullen nodded in thanks and turned to leave, heading back to his quarters to get some rest of his own.

When he reached his destination he locked the door behind him. He spent no time shedding his armour so that he could collapse onto his own bed, anxious to get some rest in preparation for the undoubtedly long day ahead of him.

However once he collapsed onto the soft mattress, sleep was the last thing his mind was focused on.

His mind raced with thoughts of the evening’s events, the inquisitor, carrying her to her quarters, falling asleep next to her and how much she would remember tomorrow morning.

Would she remember caressing his lips and grasping his thigh? Would she remember confessing her insecurities and worry? Would she feel relieved that he was with her in her vulnerable state, or would she be full of regret and avoid him? Did he cross a line?

It was in that very second that he remembered how he lost his gloves, and his heart skipped a beat at the memory;

Nora had fallen asleep holding his gloved hand in hers, at one point rousing from the fade just enough to entwine her fingers in his and bring them to her lips, placing a soft kiss against his gloved fingers.

Shortly after he felt her whimper against his hand, murmuring and shuddering.

_She must be having a dream._

“Cullen…?“

“I’m still here, Nora.”

A soft sigh of relief escaped her and she grasped his fingers tightly, gently squeezing his hand and bringing it closer into her cheek. When she did however, she shuddered.

“Is everything alright?”

Her sleepy reply was barely audible; “Mhm… cold leather”.

 _Cold leather? What was she-Oh._ His gloves. The leather of his gloves must be cold against her skin.

Before he could react her other hand grasped his and deftly pulled his gloves off, and replaced his hand against her cheek, the feeling of her soft skin against his sword-calloused hands sending a surge of warmth through him. She sighed contentedly and placed another kiss against his hand, this time her lips grazing the heel of his palm before she dragged them along his hand up towards his thumb, catching the tip in her mouth briefly before releasing it and bringing his hand back into her cheek.

He felt his cheeks flush, and he inhaled sharply as he tried to drive the thoughts flooding into his mind, threatening to rear their heads when she once again kissed his hand, her breath hot against his palm. He shifted his weight and he felt her breath hitch before she spoke into his hand, her voice barely a whisper.

“Don’t go. Please.”

“I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere.”

His jaw clenched at the thought. Had he made a mistake? He wanted to be there for her, to support her in her time of need. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel insecure or regretful of her actions, and he hoped that she knew that. Perhaps she wouldn’t remember a thing – _it wouldn’t be so surprising, considering the state she was in_ \- and their relationship would be unchanged.

Then his thoughts darted to his missing gloves and the fact that she would probably find them immediately after waking the next morning, causing a wave of panic to briefly wash over him.

He brought his hands up to his face, dragging them down his stubbled cheeks as an exasperated sigh escaped him.

 _Get yourself together Rutherford_ , he thought to himself. _You did nothing wrong. You were her friend and supported her when she needed you to. You did nothing to be ashamed of. You took her to her chambers, made sure she was safe. You fell asleep waiting for her to calm down, nothing happened._

 _But I wanted it to._ A tide of guilt washed over him. _Would I have been able to stop myself if she had tried to take it further? Would I have been able to resist temptation and tell her no, she was drunk, it wasn’t right, and to go to sleep? Maker help me._

He’d like to think he could, but he was now questioning every interaction he’d ever had with her.

They had become quite close as of late, even if only as friends. Ever since Haven, their relationship had changed. Something had shifted between them, and Cullen had found it harder and harder to resist telling her how he felt about her. Almost losing her to Corypheous in the Battle at Haven had put his true feelings for her in perspective to him, but their friendship was far too valuable to him to risk jeopardizing it by telling her how he felt. He would have to settle for just being there for her as her friend.

_Then you need to stop seeing her as otherwise._

His mind darted to this evening on the bench outside the tavern when she dragged her fingers across the scar along his lip, tugging at his bottom lip and caressing her own with her tongue. Catching her bottom lip in her teeth, pleading eyes gazing up at him through chestnut lashes, leaning into him…

_No. She was drunk, not thinking clearly. It’s not right to think of her like this. Like that. She’s the Inquisitor, and I the Commander of her forces, nothing more._

Except that wasn’t true.

_Regardless of my feelings, I need to respect hers. If there is something more there, she would make it known. Sober._

He took a deep breath and forced himself to put the evening’s events out of his head. Despite the thoughts racing through his mind, Cullen eventually succumbed to sleep, exhaustion winning over his mind’s deliberation.

*****


End file.
